What Doesn't Kill Me
by Amaya-Lin-Loveless
Summary: Summary inside...Stupid Box is too small for it :(
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

After Bernard is killed during a case, Bianca, though grief stricken, refuses to allow his killer to run loose. She is determined to have the rat responsible put behind bars forever, but she'll need help. Can Britain's Finest Detective help bring this criminal to justice? Can these two mice work together to bring down this murderous fiend or will their emotions get the better of them as the tension rises in the case?

(Story is told within the Rescuers time line!)

Read and find out!


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_**Fare Thee Well**_

_**My Own True Love**_

(The titles of the chapters are the songs I was listening to while writing these chapters. If you want to get the full effect of the chapter listen to the song while reading and ENJOY!)

**(Song: 10,000 miles by Mary Chapin Carpenter)**

The assignment was a simple one. A rat had broken into a technological research facility in New York and stolen several documents from a vault. The assignment was to find this rat, arrest him, and bring the documents back to the scientists at the facility. Such a simple assignment was given to the R.A.S.'s top agents due to their capability dealing with dangerous situations. No one would have ever believed that it would prove to be a far more dangerous assignment than they had first anticipated. Engaging their foe with little to no knowledge about him came with a high price.

When Miss Bianca finally awoke she found herself lying upon a bed within a solid white room. Her head hurt and she soon discovered that her left arm and right leg were wrapped tightly within two casts. She was in a hospital that much was obvious, but how had she ended up here. The poor white Hungarian mouse's headache grew worse as she began to remember the events that happened.

"Miss Bianca, we just got back from our honeymoon! Don't you want to spend some time at home before we start going on missions again?", Bernard asked his wife as he sat their luggage down on their bed.

"Oh Darling it will be wonderful! Adventure and excitement, please Darling", she said kissing him on the cheek as she took her little purple suitcase up stairs to their room.

Poor Bernard stood their stunned for a moment before chuckling to himself. They had been dating for nearly two years and had been married for only a month, four days, and sixteen hours. He had loved her from the moment he met her, but, for the life of him, he could never seem to tell her no. All she had to do was look at him, kiss him, or simply say his name and he was putty in her hands. Part of him wondered if she knew that she did that to him.

"Alright, but can't we wait just a few days before going back on duty?", he called up the stairs hoping to have a little more time with his wife before they were swept away on another dangerous assignment.

"I already called the society, we are to report to headquarters tomorrow for our briefing!", she called down to him laughing lightly when she heard him groan.

Bianca loved her husband dearly, but he could truly be a fraidy cat when it came to their job. Their first mission had proved to change him to a degree. Bernard had been so superstitious and anxious that he tended to stutter and fidget whenever he spoke to someone. Yet as they continued to go on missions she watched him transform little by little. He wasn't a courageous knight that rode forth toward a dragon's keep to defeat the foul beast, but he was much more confident in himself than he had been when they had first met. He was still sweet and caring, those were the main reasons she fell in love with him. His heart may not have been that of a lion, but it was sweet as a lamb.

"Honestly Miss Bianca, why do you insist on going on so many missions? Didn't you ever just want to settle down and live a quiet life?", Bernard asked as entered the room with his suitcase and began to unpack.

"Back in Hungary, I didn't really get to go out and have adventures. I had only ever known my home in the hills. I had never been outside of my little town and was curious about the outside world. So I did my best to become a representative of my country. I wanted to see the world and help others along the way. So you see Darling, I live for adventure and the discovery of new places. I love helping anyone who needs help and putting a stop to horrid people who only wish to cause harm. That is why I take on so many missions Bernard", she said hanging up her last dress.

She turned to find Bernard staring at her in awe while holding a half folded jacket in his hands. At first she thought she had said something wrong, but Bernard only smiled and shook his head slightly.

"You're amazing Miss Bianca", he said sitting the jacket back in the suitcase before making his way over to his wife.

Bianca smiled playfully as he pulled her into a chaste kiss. True their past experiences during their honeymoon had been anything but chaste. However, they always seemed to revert back to the gentle touches and kisses outside their bedroom activities. Bianca didn't understand why Bernard seemed to hold himself back when he kissed her. Every time she wanted more from him it was her who had to make the first move. She chalked it up to his lack of self confidence. She loved him dearly, but hoped that with time he would stop being so timid about kissing and holding her the way a husband should.

"Well, it's late and we have to report in at eight tomorrow so we can be briefed before our flight", she said laughing lightly at her husband's sigh of defeat.

She knew he was a timid mouse and didn't care for adventure, but she loved having him for a partner and knew she could depend on him. Even if he was a bit of a fraidy cat, he was dependable. She knew she could always count on him whenever things looked bad. He would always be there to help her and would never give up when things got rough.

Bianca smiled as she snuggled under the covers with Bernard holding her gently. Bianca held back a sigh of frustration. While Bernard was a sweetheart and a wonderful partner, he treated her like she was made of glass. It was as if he was afraid that if he held her too tight he'd break to her to pieces. It annoyed her to no end that he treated her like a fragile object rather than an equal partner most of the time. He was annoying when he was like that, but part of her liked that part about him. He cared about her a great deal. She just wished he'd stop acting like she'd shatter to pieces if he so much as kissed her too roughly.

Bianca felt her blood boil when she heard the assignment they were being given. Four mice had been killed, the lead scientist was kidnapped, and several documents were stolen. Bianca had dealt with a mad woman and a dangerous poacher in the past, but this case made her absolutely furious. It had been another rodent who had committed the crime and ended the lives of four innocent mice. Her heart went out to those poor souls and their grieving families.

"Bianca I'm not so sure about this", Bernard said looking over the papers they had been given describing the crime scene and all the information the police had gathered on the missing documents, "Who ever is behind this seems to be incredibly dangerous. The four mice were shot in the back of the head after the head of the department, Miss Angela Stone, opened the vault where the documents were kept. Miss Stone was also leading the project on the files that were stolen. It doesn't say what was on the documents, only that they were research papers for the Department of Defense."

Bianca nodded as she took a few of the reports away from Bernard to look over them herself.

"The four must have been held hostage at gun point to force Miss Stone to open the vault. After they got the files they wanted they shot the scientists to keep them from telling the police what they looked like and what they had taken. Miss Stone was the head of the project so they will most likely be forcing her to continue whatever it was they were working on. If it was for the Department of Defense than it must be some form of weapon they were working on", Bianca said trying to make sense of the situation and figure out where to look next.

"It says that the janitor at the time had hidden himself in the closet on the second floor when everything was happening. The lab that was attacked was the third floor where most of the project was taking place. The floor below them was used to store and mix chemicals, but was not in use for this project", Bernard said setting the rest of the papers on the table.

"That's rather odd...", Bianca said looking over a few files concerning the second floor and the janitor who was supposedly cleaning it, "Well it's obvious where we must start then. We must go see this Mr. Nazumi and find out what he knows."

He was an elderly looking mouse. At first glance he seemed harmless and didn't appear to be capable of causing anyone any harm. If only they had been more careful and less trusting than perhaps things would have turned out different. Sadly they ignored the old saying, 'Never Judge a Book by it's Cover'. True this saying is used to make people see that not all people are bad, but it can also be reversed to not all people are good. Never judge based off appearances. Some of the nicest looking people can be hiding the most horrid of hearts.

He was sweeping the floor when they found him. He looked just like any old mouse. Grey fur, glasses sitting on the end of his nose, hunched over from old age taking effect, and looking almost as weak as a new born babe. He truly looked like a harmless old mouse just trying to do what little work he was still capable of. Bianca actually felt sorry for him as he seemed to move so slowly with the broom. It reminded her of her grandmother who used to clean house everyday, on up until she no longer could. She remembered how worn down and exhausted she had been as her days drew closer to their end. This old mouse looked the same. Just tired and worn down, but not wanting to be pitied or taken care of.

"Excuse us, Mr. Nazumi?", Bernard asked as they approached the old mouse.

He stopped sweeping, gave them a wrinkly smile and said in a raspy voice, "Hello there, what can I do for you folks today?"

"Hello sir, my name is Bernard. This is my wife and co-agent Miss Bianca. We're from the Rescue-Aid Society", Bernard said trying to be a professional as he could about the whole business as usual.

"Ah yes, I've heard of your society and about you two in particular. Saving a little boy in Australia last time wasn't it?", he said still smiling at them.

Bianca nodded, "Yes we were the ones that helped save Cody. Mr. Nazumi can you please tell us everything you remember about the night of the attack in Lab 21."

"I was sure I included everything in my statement to the police", the old mouse said looking a little nervous.

"We read the statement sir, but we were hoping that you might remember anything else about that night. Were there any suspicious characters hanging about? Did you happen to see anyone that is not apart of the research team come into the building at any point?", Bernard asked pulling out his notebook ready to take down any information they may receive.

"Nothing that I can think of. Everyone had been in the lab since seven in the morning. I had been going about my cleaning like I usually do when I heard a gun being fired. I didn't know what was going on and didn't care to find out, so I hid in the broom closet on the second floor. I heard a few more gun shots from the floor above me and then silence. I stayed put until morning when the police arrived", he said looking at them curiously, but something was off about his story.

"Mr. Nazumi, I'm not much of a scientist, but most janitors don't clean up chemicals within the lab. The scientists that handle the chemicals have been trained how to clean them up and dispose of them properly, yet you say you were cleaning on the second floor where most of the chemicals are stored and used. Now if you had prier training in chemistry than you would be qualified to clean up any chemicals that had been used in the labs or cleaning the special rooms they are stored in. Yet I saw in your file that you are not trained to handle any of the chemicals stored on the second floor. So I must ask you, Mr. Nazumi, why were you cleaning up there?", Bianca asked remembering what she had read in his file the police had provided for the society, as well as a few old rules about the chemistry lab she had taken in college.

Mr. Nazumi looked very nervous right then. The shifty look in his eyes made Bianca a little more than nervous herself. Something wasn't right about this old mouse. At first glance he looked harmless, but from his behavior something was very wrong.

"Well you see...", he gulped trying to find what to say.

"Mr. Nazumi, what are you not telling us?", Bernard asked catching on to what Bianca had discovered.

What came next happened so fast Miss Bianca still didn't know how it happened.

"Well looks as if I'm not going to be leaving here without spilling more blood", Mr. Nazumi said his old raspy voice changing to a deadly sounding British accent.

He pulled a gun from his coat and fired three shots at Miss Bianca and Bernard. Bernard, not having time to think about what he was doing, dove in front of Bianca taking the shots meant for her. One of them got passed him and hit her in the side. Bernard was unconscious, at least that is what she had hoped when Mr. Nazumi shot four more bullets at them and the force of the bullets sent the couple falling down the stairs to the lobby below.

"Such a shame, I had heard you two had just been married. Oh well, at least you will leave this world together", Mr. Nazumi said his British accent more apparent. He laughed darkly as he walked passed the bleeding couple.

Bianca could tell her arm and leg were broken and she was losing a lot of blood. Bernard was not moving. Bianca tried to rouse him, but she quickly faded to darkness from blood loss.

Tears came to Bianca's eyes as she thought of Bernard. She was alive, but where was he? Was he alright? Dear Heaven she hoped so. She laid there for several minutes before a nurse entered the room.

"Oh, Miss Gabor, it's nice to see you are awake", the nurse said with a smile as she began to check Bianca's vitals.

Some part of Bianca wanted to correct the nurse on the last name. Her personal records still held her maiden name and had yet to be changed to match Bernard's last name. Yet at the moment she didn't care about what the nurse had called her. She wanted to know what had happened to her husband.

"Please miss, where is Bernard, he's my husband. Please tell me, is he alright?", she said in a raspy voice from her throat being parched.

The nurse looked sad for a moment, but helped Bianca sit up and sip on some water. She didn't say anything about Bernard and didn't try to either. She simply left the room after Bianca had finished the water. If Bianca wasn't worried for her husband before, she certainly was now.

"Ah, Miss Bianca, I'm so relieved to see you are awake", came a familiar British accent, though this one she recognized as a friend.

"Mr. Chairman, please tell me, is Bernard alright?", she said needing to know.

Silence. That was all she received. Silence and a look of regret that sent a chill down her spine and a dagger to her heart. The Chairman's eyes fell to the ground as he tried to say something, but words would not come. He was silent; unable to say anything, but Bianca didn't need him to. The look in his eyes and his silence said it all. The truth came crushing down on her heart. It felt as if she was being held under water and could only lay there as she was slowly drowned by this news. She was alive and her wounds would heal, yet she had lost something precious because she had allowed herself to be deceived.

Bernard was dead and, some how, Bianca felt it was her fault.

Bianca spent a few weeks in the hospital until her bones had completely healed. She was lucky they were hairline fractures and bruises that healed quickly. Her emotional state however was not doing so well. She had stopped talking to anyone that came to see her in the hospital. She only answered yes and no questions for the doctors and nurses, but she just couldn't find the will to say anything. What could she say? What could she or anyone else possibly say to make things right again?

Bernard had died saving her. He had taken the bullets that were meant for her. Without hesitation he had saved her, but at a price. What's more it was partially her fault. If she hadn't been so ready to be back in the game and taking on such dangerous missions, then perhaps Bernard would still be with her. The few visitors she had tried to tell her it wasn't her fault, but she seemed to be deaf to their words.

Grief, regret, shame, sorrow, and guilt filled her heart to the brim. She was lost within a sea of pain and self hatred. She was angry with herself for letting her desire for adventure overrule her common sense. She knew their job was dangerous and the chances of one of them getting hurt or dying was always present. If she hadn't been so eager to stop those crooks, so ready to be a hero, so foolish for thinking they would be able to stop them without having to worry about getting hurt or killed; Bernard's life would not have been forfeit.

She had been allowed out of the hospital to attend the funeral. The ceremony itself was sad enough, but because of the damage the gun had done to Bernard, it was a closed casket ceremony. Bianca couldn't bring herself to speak to anyone that tried to comfort her. She sat in her wheel chair through out the service feeling horrible. As they lowered the casket into the ground, Bianca felt as if whatever was left of her heart was being placed down in the hole along with her lover.

Now that she was able to walk on her own without any assistance, she felt lost at what to do. Their home, Bernard's home, felt empty to her as she sat in the dining room sipping on a cup of cold tea. It felt big, cold and empty without him there with her. If that wasn't enough to bring her down further, than the sheer silence would. It was far too quiet in the house that had once been filled with the two of them laughing and picking at each other. Now the only sound to be made was the sound of Miss Bianca sipping her tea and the clink of the cup being sat down on the saucer again.

Bianca washed her cup and put it away. She felt so lost as she entered the sitting room. She sat down upon the couch and looked about the room. Her eyes landed upon the fireplace mantle and saw their wedding portrait. She stood up and walked over to it as memories of the day filled her mind.

It had been April 16th and the wedding had been flawless. She was wearing her mother's old wedding gown that she had saved after both of her parents had passed away. Her bouquet held a lovely arrangement of white/red roses, white lilies, and several bunches of baby's breath. The amount of baby's breath had made both Bianca and Bernard blush, but both had agreed that they wanted to have a big family.

"You would have made a wonderful father", Bianca said as she picked the picture up and brought it close to her.

Bernard was wearing a black tuxedo with a red bow tie and smiling like a fool. He was a serious mouse and rarely ever acted silly or childish, but that day he had been as happy as a school boy on the first day of summer. He had danced, laughed, and had more fun than Bianca had ever seen him do since they had met. Bianca stared at the picture for a time allowing it's memories to fill her mind and heart, but, rather than bring her joy, they brought more pain knowing she had lost him. He was gone and she was to blame. She cradled the picture to her chest as she broke down into a fit of tears.

"Oh Bernard, My Darling, I'm so sorry", she cried as she curled up on the couch, still holding the picture tightly to her chest, and cried herself to sleep.

Her world had been so wonderful and adventurous, but now it felt empty and pointless. Her love was gone and it was her fault for not being more cautious. Oh how often her dear love had said they needed to be more careful. He had always been so cautious, but only now did she see he was right to be so. Had she only listened to him then he would not have perished in such a horrible way.

That night Bianca's dreams were filled with the joyful memories of her husband and all the good times they had shared together over the years. She gave a sad smile in her sleep as she allowed her dreams to ease her pain, yet in the back of her mind she knew the heart break and guilt would be waiting for her when she awoke the next morning.


End file.
